Wednesday, August 31, 2005

In an effort to overcome the continuing criticism that he is unsupportive and often dismissive of Israel, President Georg W. Bush announced today that he is converting to Judaism in the hope that this act will demonstrate his affinity and empathy with the Israeli people.

Authorities in Jerusalem have been unable to handle the thousands who have applied to perform the Brit Milah.

...in the current reality of the Middle East, Mr. Sharon has just boldly gone where Mr. Netanyahu fears to tread. Mr. Sharon's withdrawal of Israeli settlers from Gaza, completed last week, was a historic shift that should be acknowledged and extended.

Now that Mr. Sharon has demonstrated that he is able to carry out a territorial compromise, a necessity if there will ever be any chance for peace, he needs to extend the principle from Gaza to the crucially important West Bank. Members of the Likud Party would be foolish and shortsighted to punish him for the Gaza withdrawal and thus reduce the chances of any further progress toward peace. If they do, they may well deprive their party of any chance of leading Israel to the peace and security that it wants and deserves.

That's it. That's the last straw.If the NYT is supporting him, that's one of the best reasons to desire his removal from office as fast as possible.

If the United States tried to impeach a president for fooling around with a young female, Sharon's fooling around with an ancient homeland is more than a very good reason, not to mention the country's security, its diplomatic standing and its ability to remain the Jewish national home.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

As reported, a resident of Louisiana who chose to stay at home rather than evacuate in the face of advancing Hurricane Katrina believed her country is being dealt with by God because of the major role it played in the expulsion of Jews from their homes in Gaza and northern Samaria.

Bridgett Magee said that she saw the giant hurricane “as a direct ‘coming back on us’ [for] what we did to Israel: a home for a home.”

Magee sees the coming catastrophe as something the God of Israel will allow in judgment upon the United States for its central role in the expulsion of 10000 Jews from their homes in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria.

Those expulsions, which began two weeks ago Sunday and went on for six days, saw 10,000 Jewish men, women and children forced to leave their homes, all of which, together with gardens, schools, shops and synagogues – 25 entire towns – are currently being bulldozed into rubble.

Greg Myre quotes, in today's New York Times, Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as saying "not all the settlements of today in Judea and Samaria will remain" but adds that Sharon was "referring to the West Bank by its biblical name".

While Judea and Samaria appear extensively in the Bible as well as the New Testament (Acts 8:1, for example), they were terms used by the British during their Mandate period 1920-1948 and by the United Nations in its Partition Resolution 181 (Part II, Para. A).

There need be no antipathy to using names that originated in antiquity. In truth, the term 'West Bank' is that which is a recent semantic creation, intended to obliterate the Jewishness of the territory promised to become the Jewish national home.

Monday, August 29, 2005

I receive the communiques of the Cabinet meetings of Israel's government via the Foreign Ministry. The one from yesterday, 28 August 2005, caught my attention in its thrid paragraph:-

Cabinet Communique(Communicated by the Cabinet Secretariat)

The Cabinet, at its weekly meeting today (Sunday), 28 August 2005:

...ISA Director Diskin and OC Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Zeevy (Farkash) briefed ministers on...the three recent incidents of Jewish terrorism (in Shfaram and Shilo, and the throwing of a pig's head at the Hassan Bek Mosque in Jaffa) that were perpetrated in Israel in order to disrupt and/or harm the Disengagement Plan.

As already reported, those arrested, while claiming their act was a hate crime against Arabs (obviously; after all, Muslims don't eat pigs and to dress one's head up with a kaffiyah and the word Muhammed on it is surely motivated by hate), were a pimp and one of his girls.

Now, I wouldn't go so far as to call this a "terror" attack.

And I would certainly investigate a) whether the chief suspect is mentally stable; and b) whether he has or had some run-ins whether fellpw pimps from the Arab sector (we are talking about Yaffo, one of Israel's main prostitution areas) which might have caused him, from purely personal reasons, to do such a dumb thing.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

At least two drivers reported their windows were smashed in rock attacks earlier Sunday afternoon directed against Israeli motorists driving by the Arab village of Sinjel, south of Shilo in Samaria. No injuries were reported.

Ariel Sharon has "freed" them from Gaza so they're looking for more action.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Yet again, another soldier is injured in the Anti-Fence Protest campaign near Bilin, in the Modi’in region. Palestinian Authority (PA) residents and left-wing Israelis pelted soldiers with rocks and eggs.

This has been going on, weekly, since February, I think.

In other words, these so-called nonviolent demonstrations have injured more IDF soldiers and Border policeman (one of whom was killed when he fell while chasing delinquents) than the anti-disengagement actions which, despite denials, the media always portrayed as violent.

I sit facing my computer, and words fail me. I have just witnessed one of the most tragic and traumatic events of my life.

“A Jewish young man died in my arms tonight.”

Yes, you read correctly. A Jewish man died in my arms tonight. His sin? Being Jewish in Jerusalem. At about 8:25 this evening, we got a call from the MDA dispatcher about a stabbing on Rechov David - the shuk leading from Shaar Yaffo (Jaffa Gate) to the Kotel. I immediately left my apartment and sped over to the chaotic scene not far from there on a Hatzolah ambucycle.

Upon arrival, a horrible sight greeted me. A young Jewish man, lying in a pool of his own blood, with a 15" knife sticking out of his stomach. After being at many bombings, car accidents and other traumatic events, this scene had the distinction of being the worst one I have ever seen. His skin a very pale color, and his eyes half open, I reached him. The only people around were police officers, who didn't really know what to do. The young Jewish man was not breathing, and he had no pulse. This is the nightmare of any EMT. Alone, as the only person with medical training at the scene, there is not much you can do. Many tasks need to be done, and many people are needed to do them. Starting CPR, connecting oxygen, starting numerous IV's due to massive blood loss and trying to stop the bleeding are some of the things that need to be done, but in the seconds that I was there, my mind stopped working.

One cannot think rationally in such situations - one must act like a robot, doing whatever could be done as quickly as possible. First, I called for backup on my MIRS, and then I started CPR. Even with all of the expensive equipment that we have, there are times that the only thing you can use is a simple pocket mask. Using a bag valve mask on a trauma patient that you are having trouble opening an airway for is a waste of time. It is close to impossible to use on your own on such a patient. I took out my trusty face mask, and started mouth to mouth resuscitation. I felt his lungs fill up with air, and I was slightly encouraged. One of the police officers started chest compressions (as well as he could), and we continued basic CPR for a minute or two. At this point, an ambulance with a paramedic - Aryeh Yaffe - arrived at the scene, along with Rafi Herbst and another volunteer. We now had four sets of hands instead of one, and could now start to try to save the young Jewish man's life. We immediately searched for the wounds and tried to stop the bleeding. At the same time we tried to start an IV, but were having difficulty due to the massive amounts of blood that he lost. We continued CPR, this time with a bag valve mask and good compressions, and in the meantime, more volunteers from the Jewish Quarter arrived on foot, and quickly took my place.

Shortly thereafter a MDA Mobile ICU arrived and continued to work on the patient - the Doctor I saw on their crew was one of the best I have ever seen working under pressure and keeping his cool - as well as giving fantastic care to the patient. Soon, we had three IV's running, and we were trying to restart the young man's heart using drugs. Atropine, Sodium Bicarbonate were used among other drugs, and soon we had a heart rhythm on the EKG, although we did not have a pulse. We moved the patient to the mobile ICU who transferred him to the trauma center at Haddassah Ein Karem, but the young man was pronounced dead in the operating room - he had a massive gash in the veins and arteries in his stomach, and we could not save him. When I had arrived at the scene previously - he was no longer with us, yet we tried everything that we could to bring him back - to no avail.

What was the young man's crime? What did he do wrong? Why was he murdered by our 'peace partners'? To us, the residents of the Old City, these answers are clear. The arabs want us out of Israel - out of Jerusalem. They see clearly that violence and terrorism against Jews works, as witnessed in Gaza and Gush Katif - five years of violence culminated in the surrender of the Jews. Now, they clearly say that they want Jerusalem - and the way for them to get it is through blood - our blood.

A friend of mine commented tonight, "Jewish blood is not cheap. It's free." The terrorism will continue - and will get much worse in Jerusalem. One thing I can tell you - we won't run. We will stand firm, and remain here until one side wins - us or them. The battle is for the soul of the Land of Israel - let no one think otherwise. In the meantime, I'm sure you are asking yourselves - what can be done?

The answer, as I see it, is threefold. Physical help: This includes writing to congressmen, senators, politicians; trying to influence the viewpoint of others around you; visiting Israel; helping us in our struggle. After tonight, I've realized that every volunteer EMT in the Old City should have a gun with him - we need to raise money for that as well (I can be reached at moshe@hatzolah.org.il for more information as to how to donate). I never thought that as an EMT I'd be trying to raise money for guns - the instruments of death, but times have changed. There are also other medical items that we need - reach me at the email address above. More importantly, we must realize that our fate is decided in Heaven. When a decree comes from before G-d, we must take a deeper look at ourselves and try to find what is wrong spiritually. Each of us must make additional effort in the spiritual realm to do more mitzvot and study Torah, and through that may we merit the rescinding of the terrible sword that hangs above our heads.

Let us cry together. Let us understand that a Jew murdered in Jerusalem must have an impact upon the entire Jewish nation - we must realize the depths that we have reached. We are a splintered, fragmented nation - each of us finding fault with the other. At the very least, let us join together in sorrow, and cry as one for the blood of a young man, murdered in Jerusalem simply because he was a Jew. Please pass this message on. We must wake up and realize where this is leading. We must arise to the challenge given to us and join together to be victorious.

Anybody watching and listening to the news here in Israel, or what passes for news but is actually the expression of personal political ideology by the newscasters, the interviewers and the commentators, knows that they all sneer at Bibi Netanyahu and mention, in a very annoying fashion his dependence on polls (after all, every politician utilizes polls). Even Arik Sharon deprecates Bibi for his 'poll' mentality.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

We want to live in peace and in freedom, not under the rule of the rabbis, not even under the rule of the Messiah, but under our own elected government.

We have a dream of being free from the lasting occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Amos Oz's attempt to set as opposites Jews as a religion and Jews as a nation is a failed philosophy.

One need not be a theological fanatic to realize that Arab terror is not fed by "occupation" or "settlements", neither of which existed prior to 1967, at which time Arab anti-Zionist terror had been in existence for decades.

Even Oz's dream of a Little Israel is insufficient for Arab visions of an eradicated Jewish state.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

From the transcript of an interview at the big demo 10 days ago, on August 12 for an Australian TV network:

PETER CAVE: Yisrael Medad is a spokesman for the Yesha Council.

YISRAEL MEDAD: We are trying to represent the popular will of the people. This is a democracy.

PETER CAVE: Are you hoping that some of the thousands of people you've got here tonight will actually cross across into Gaza?

YISRAEL MEDAD: We're not only hoping, we know that they will be across into the Gush Katif area next week, and if not, they'll be at Kisufim Junction in order to slow down this process of evacuation and expulsion. We will not allow this process to go down quietly. If it does happen, afterwards, because they're going to be elections within the year, we're going to have a new Government, a new Prime Minister, and hopefully we'll return to sanity in this country.

Here, most probably, Yaakov fought a battle in retreat against Shchemites. Here Joshua divided out the tribal portions of the Land of Israel. Here the Tabernacle was erected. Here Samuel the Prophet was inducted to the prophetic ministry.

But what about the other Shilohs?

Here are a few references I found while stumbling through some search engines for something else entirely:-

Shiloh Healthcare are delighted to announce the launch of our new Comfifast Easywrap Suits – a range of easy to apply washable clothing used for wet wrapping in the treatment of paediatric atopic eczema.

3.Shiloh, Illinois -- The Place to Be!People who live and work in the Village of Shiloh know the simple pleasures of small-town life and at the same time enjoy all the benefits of a thriving metropolis. Located on the crest of a picturesque, unspoiled valley, Shiloh is encircled by several larger neighbors, including Belleville, Fairview Heights, O'Fallon, and Scott Air Force Base. Within the surrounding towns are numerous shopping centers, as well as the largest mall in Southern Illinois.

4.Shiloh National Military Park was established in 1894 to preserve the scene of the first major battle in the Western theater of the Civil War. The two-day battle, April 6 and 7, 1862, involved about 65,000 Union and 44,000 Confederate troops. This battle resulted in nearly 24,000 killed, wounded, and missing. It proved to be a decisive victory for the federal forces when they advanced on and seized control of the Confederate railway system at Corinth, Mississippi. The battlefield contains about 4,000 acres at Shiloh and an interpretive center at Corinth, Mississippi.

5.The Shiloh Project is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Fairfax County, Virginia and is a participating member of the Combined Federal Campaign and the United Way of the National Capital Area. Our Mission: Teaching juvenile offenders and youth at-risk Compassion, Respect and Responsibility toward animals and others through the experience of socializing and interacting with rescued homeless dogs, Promoting the adoption of homeless companion animals and Encouraging healthy and positive human/animal bonds.

The Palestinian leadership caused the death of 114 Palestinians.Can you imagine how Gaza would have looked had the Palestinians and the other Arab leaders been willing to make peace with Israel in 1947..in 1948? in 1949? in 1956? in 1967? in 1968 and on and on and on and on? in 2001? in 2001? in 2002? in 2003? in 2004???? Would Israel have remained in any part of the Gaza Strip if the Palestinians would have the courage to make peace?

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2005 — Officials at JP Morgan Chase have apologized and promised to improve their screening policies, after a credit card solicitation letter sent to a 54-year-old naturalized American citizen came addressed to "Palestinian Bomber."

The form letter for a Visa Platinum card arrived earlier this month at the home of Sami Habbas, a grocery store manager from Corona, Calif. Habbas is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Palestinian heritage. He told ABC News he is "extremely upset" at receiving the letter, pointing out that he has lived in the United States for 51 years and also served in the U.S. Army, receiving an honorable discharge in 1969.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Okay, this (for full story) is a bit of on the black humor side of things. But the way things are going for some of the Gaza refugees, this isn't that far off the mark.

Germany's homeless students turn to living in a box By Ruth Elkins, in Berlin Published: 21 August 2005 The UK Independent

The new Micro-Compact Home (M-CH) offers students a cosy six square metres of individual dwelling where they can sleep, drink beer and occasionally fit in a bit of work. It is a raised, entirely open-plan aluminium cube. Inside, three levels of "interlocking space" miraculously manage to contain a stowaway bed, desk, kitchen and a "completely normal" toilet and shower, even if it is in the doorway. Equipped with flat-screen TV, internet access and air conditioning, the M-CH is easily transportable and so small it can be parked almost anywhere.

The new Micro-Compact Home (M-CH) offers students a cosy six square metres of individual dwelling where they can sleep, drink beer and occasionally fit in a bit of work. It is a raised, entirely open-plan aluminium cube. Inside, three levels of "interlocking space" miraculously manage to contain a stowaway bed, desk, kitchen and a "completely normal" toilet and shower, even if it is in the doorway. Equipped with flat-screen TV, internet access and air conditioning, the M-CH is easily transportable and so small it can be parked almost anywhere.

August 19, 2005 -- A posh Jersey Shore eatery, under fire for referring to a pair of diners as a "Jew Couple" on their check, is in hot water again. Longtime customer Joanne Fordyce said she was outraged when she noticed that her check from Parkhill's Waterfront Grill in Loch Arbour printed, just below her table number, "Dirty Joanne."

Friday, August 19, 2005

The scenes we observed at the Kfar Darom synagogue, a community that was abandoned in 1938 due to the Arab riots at the time; that was overrun and destroyed in the 1948 war after a heroic stand against the invading Egyptian army and now, in 2005, scheduled to be eradicated were difficult.

One comment made by the officers in command was that "we didn't desecrate the synagogue; you kids decided to select that site, not us".

Well, technically, that's true.

Nevertheless, as the Yesha Council spokesperson pointed out, this same Israel Defense Forces army refused, in 2002, to go into the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. And I am talking about the period when several terrorists were holed up inside, crimes far worse than the acts these youngsters did.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

The New York Times' editorial asserts that "Gaza...part of Mandatory Palestine...was never part of the Zionist state intended by the United Nations partition plan that led to the establishment of Israel in 1948". This is ingenuous.

Gaza, part of the original territory intended by the League of Nations in 1922 to become the Jewish National Home, was indeed not included in the land mass that was to be the Jewish state in Palestine. That resolution, however, was rejected by the Arabs and became a dead letter. The war of aggression launched by Arabs, in blatant violation of the UN, left Israel in legitimate possession of the Gallilee, the southern sea coast and additional regions which are now recognized as Israel.

The Arab attempt in 1967 to continue the 1948 war left Israel administrating Gaza. The Jewish communities there, some of which existed prior to 1948 like Kfar Darom, are not illegitimate and neither are they the "worst side" of the revenant movement to continue Jewish life in the Jewish homeland but a continuation of genuine Jewish nationalism.

Would not the conclusion of the editorial's logic lead to Israel expelling Arabs, like the Jews of Gaza, out of their homes in Gallilee?

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Neither attacks came as a complete surprise to police or to the Shin Bet security service. In recent months, the security establishment has received numerous warnings of possible attacks by extremist Jews against the Palestinians in an attempt to incite disorder in the territories and block the disengagement plan.

The incident at the entrance to the Shiloh Bloc of communities was not part of some plan but, as far as I can tell, perhaps a result of the anti-"settler" incitement by the media (*) and those politicians who manipulate the media and raise all sorts of ideas that no one would contemplate or think about unless the media gives them a platform. No one here talks or discusses such ideas but the newspapers delight in reporting on the most unlikely scenarios and it is this phenomenom which could be the guilty party.

Someone sent me a story about a fancy Jersey Shore restaurant presenting a check which listed the diners' table as that of the "Jew Couple."

Here's an excerpt:-

Brooklynite Elliot Stein says he was shocked that a waitress at the Parkhill's Waterfront Grill in Allenhurst printed the slur instead of a table number on his $36.75 bill.

As if that weren't bad enough, the 23-year-old shoe buyer told The Post, the offensive phrase then turned up on his credit-card statement two weeks later.

"My grandfather went through all that in old-school Europe," an angry Stein said yesterday. "But that happened more than 50 years ago. You don't expect it to happen in 2005, especially when a lot of their money comes from our community."

Relaxing at happy hour on a Friday night, July 8, he and his girlfriend of two years, Jennifer Cassin, had just finished their sushi and drinks. When the check arrived...along with the list of their orders was the printed phrase: "Jew Couple."

Stein, who has a vacation house in nearby Deal, N.J., said he was a regular at the waterfront establishment.

Gee, I feel for them even though I am guessing that the eatery wasn't really serving Kosher food, especially as it was on the Shabbat.

It basically informs us that an official investigation directly contradicted the police account of the killing of a young Brazilian man after the bombing attempts in London on July 21.

At the time, the police said Mr. Menezes wore a bulky jacket on a hot day, began running from officers despite commands to halt, vaulted the ticket turnstile and ran stumbling onto the subway train. A news report on British television said an inquiry led by the Independent Police Complaints Commission had contradicted every one of those points. The report said that the officers had misidentified Mr. Menezes as one of the failed July 21 attackers and that he was killed even though he walked into the subway station wearing a light denim jacket, did not vault the turnstile and was sitting on the train when the officers moved in.

You can't trust policemen, in the U.K. and, as we know, in Israel as well.

According to this Haaretz report, PM Ariel Sharon might find himself being blamed for incitement to violence. Who knows? With the current atmosphere as it is and with the media as it is and with an Attorney General as he is, democracy is a very fragile tool in the hands of those who either don't understand what the rights of free speech and free expression are, or, worse, seek to selectively pervert it from political and ideological persuasions.

Here, read for yourselves his words and how President Katzav quickly tried to correct him:-

"I want to truly appeal to everyone, not to attack the police, the women and men soldiers and police. Don't blame them. Don't make it hard on them. Don't hurt them, hurt me."

Referring to his disengagement plan, said "I am responsible for this. Hurt me. Blame me. Don't hurt the soldiers and police who are in any case in a state of distress."

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were caught Tuesday trying to loot the evacuated homes of settlers in the Gush Katif settlement of Pe'at Sadeh. This is the third time soldiers have been caught attempting to loot homes in that settlement this week.

The soldiers were in the midst of stealing pieces of silverware when a female soldier caught them in the act and reported the incident to a commander.

Poor Shuvi. Someone is responsible for this looting and they need to take care of their own moral position before demanding that no hand be raised (see yesterday's posting).

Jordan's King Abdullah II vowed Tuesday to oppose settling more Palestinian refugees in his country amid Arab fears that Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip may not extend to the West Bank.

He further said:

I know and do appreciate the fears of some of you that plans may exist to redraw the map of the region and to settle some historic issues at the expense of Jordan.

Well, well.

If there are any "historic issues" left to resolve, one of them is what happened to the original territory intended for the Jewish National Home? Or, why, after several partitions, one in 1922, another in 1947, the Pals. are still not satiated? Or, how is it that Abdullah's great-grandfather took over Jordan, himself a refugee displaced from Saudi Arabia?

Monday, August 15, 2005

Last month, a counter-campaign was launched to portray the anti-disengagement protests as violent and causing civil strife (you gotta give it to our Lefties, they really know where to get the money for these full page ads).

Anyway, the message was "don't you dare hit my son". The full ad reads: "His humor is from his mother; his big heart from his father; his duties from the IDF. Don't raise your hand against my son". It is signed "The Mothers of the Soldiers".

Well, in today's Hebrew edition of Haaretz (for which I haven't located a web site link) appears, way back on page 14A, a small notice that two Givati soldiers were caught stealing, or is it more properly plundering, out of homes in Pe'at Sadeh and Channel 10 TV caught 3 other soldiers from a combat engineering unit stealing a refrigerator from a house there, too. Here's The Jerusalem Post report.

Haaretz's English language web site reports that among those arrested on Friday at the weekly anti-fence demo near Bil'in was a soldier, female. The Hebrew print edition, on page 12A, way in the back, informs us that she was scheduled to serve in the office of...COC Dan Halutz.

Avi Bieber had his picture splashed across the front pages, for days.

And this soldier?

Could it be she belongs to the right, opps, left side of the political spectrum?

Thursday, August 11, 2005

David Brooks, in an op-ed column in the New York Times writes of groups that reject the globalized culture who are "driven". He then sets out some examples. Like these:-

Islamic extremists reject the modern cultures of Europe, and have created a hyperaggressive fantasy version of traditional Islamic purity. In a much different and less violent way, some American Jews have moved to Hebron and become hyper-Zionists.

As it happens, Jews, from all over the world, and for centuries, have been returning to Hebron. In the 1929 riots, a half dozen American boys, from New York, Chicago and other places were among those murdered there. To live in Hebron as in Safed, Jerusalem and Tiberias over the centuries was not "hyper", but the most normal act a Jew could do. This was not a hyper-reaction but a fulfillment of the thousands year-old command and instruction to go and live in the homeland of the Jewish people.

Is it "hyper" because Brooks presumes that Hebron is "Arab territory" and that Jews shouldn't be there even if they do actually "belong" there? Why is accomplishing one of the most basic of Jewish acts, just like "next year in Jerusalem", to be thought of as 'weird', 'outlandish' and 'hyper'?

Just yesterday, the media firestormed the pronouncement of Attorney-General Menni Mazuz that it has not been proven that incitement was a direct cause of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin.

They berated him for daring to assume that words cannot kill because without this basis, they have no case against the Right in a collective sense.

So, how does the Left write and use words?

Try this, from Yoel Marcus, senior columnist and editorial board member of Haaretz:-

Israel was attacked twice within the space of 72 hours. First by a Jewish terrorist who shot four passengers to death on a bus in Shfaram and then by Benjamin Netanyahu, who suddenly resigned as the cabinet met to put their John Hancock on the first stage of the pullout. Both attacks had the same motivation - to sabotage the disengagement. But it is doubtful that either the military misfit who became a murderer or the smart, sharp-tongued politician will achieve their goal.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

vandals damaged the Rishon L’Tzion grave of IDF Pvt. Eidan Natan-Zada, who perpetrated last week’s bus attack in Shfar'am. City Hall officials report that vandals removed the grave marker which contains the name of the person buried, and removed a quantity of dirt. Officials stress the body of the soldier was not touched.

Are these the same people who complain when Gush Katif people utilize Holocaust-related messages?

Tel Aviv University published the results of a Peace Index poll they've been running monthly for almost a decade.

I think the information below from the poll indicates that I may have been right in my long-held beliefs that the methods, strategy, orientation and tactics of the anti-Oslo opposition led by the Yesha Council ("the Yesha Is Here" campaign vs. my proposed "This Is Not My Peace" line) as well as the current anti-Disengagement drive

========================================

Arguments of both the opponents and the supporters turn out to be primarily security-oriented rather than “ideological.” Thus, among the opponents the most common argument—23%—is that the withdrawal from Gaza is interpreted by the Palestinians as flight, and they must not be allowed to think this since it strengthens them against Israel.

The second most common argument—21.5%—is that the withdrawal will lead to an intensification of terror against Israel from the Strip, and the third argument—20%—is that the withdrawal poses a strategic danger to Israeli security. Only 11% cite as a main factor that the withdrawal sets a dangerous precedent for the evacuation of West Bank settlements as well, and even fewer—9%—ascribe most of their opposition to the fact that Gaza is part of the Promised Land of Israel.

Among the disengagement supporters, the order of the arguments is as follows: 33% believe the Israeli presence in Gaza is too costly in terms of victims and strengthens the Palestinians’ motivation for terror against Israel, and 22% say Gaza is not part of the historical Land of Israel and therefore Israel has no business there. Some 14% think the withdrawal will signal to the Palestinians that Israel desires peace and will encourage a return to the negotiating table; 11.5% feel that being in Gaza has no strategic value in terms of Israeli security, and only 10% “bought” the explanation by Dov Weisglass that Israel should leave Gaza in order to relieve the international pressure, enabling it to retain the West Bank settlements in the long run.

Andrea Levin, Executive Director of CAMERA in Boston, had a letter published in the Boston Globe on August 5 in response to a factually erroneous letter printed several days earlier.

In part, it read:-

As to Garrett's claim that even Israel's own Supreme Court deems Jewish settlements illegal, he's wrong. The opposite is true. The Elon Moreh case of 1979, the key relevant court decision, set the parameters for establishment of legal settlements. It ruled, for example, that no private Arab land could be taken for settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, but rather, state land was to be used.

To my mind, CAMERA would have been on stronger ground on the question of "settlement legality" had Andrea Levin pointed out that one of the fundamental legal rights granted Jews within the territory of the reconstituted Jewish National Home, which from 1922 onwards included all the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, was that of "close settlement".

The language of Article 6 is quite clear on this matter, reading that the Mandate Power "shall encourage...close settlement by Jews, on the land, including State lands and waste lands".

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

On the one hand, it congratulates Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "for standing firm and proceeding with the Gaza pullout...[and]...bowing to a demographic reality and a realistic understanding" of Israel's needs.

On the other, it denigrates resigning Finance Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, pitying him for "still refusing to acknowledge" a political, economic and emotional reality that Israel cannot hold on to the Gaza Strip.

In a few months time, however, we will know what the reality will be as it will be reported on the pages of the NYT and broadcast.

Will that reality be the optimistic view Sharon sees, that of peace, or the pessimistic outlook of Netanyahu, one of increased terror?

But the real puzzle will be: will the New York Times recognize the reality when it occurs or we will still be treated to plain bad advice?

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Dov Weisglass told the world that 60,000 more revenants will have to be displaced in a further depopulation move.

Here's what he said, a la Reuters:-

JERUSALEM, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Israel expects at least 180,000 of the current240,000 settlers in the occupied West Bank will be able to stay in theirhomes with approval from the United States, an aide to Prime Minister ArielSharon said on Thursday.

In support of Sharon's plan, Washington said last year that Israel couldexpect to keep some occupied land in any final peace deal with thePalestinians.

"Altogether, we talk about 180,000 settlers of a total population of240,000. So this is of course a significant step forward in this matter,"Weisglass said in a conference broadcast on Israeli radio.

"It means the entire area of greater Jerusalem, the city of Maale Adumim,the settlements in the Gush Etzion area and the bloc of settlements aroundAriel."

Haaretz reports that the family of the killer of the non-Jews in Shfar'am warned the authorities that their son posed a clear and present danger. Yet nothing was done.

Carmella Menasheh went on Channel One end-of-week wrapup show Friday night to testify to the truth of that statement, noting that for 6 weeks she tried to get a response to the family's claims and only two hours (!) prior to the shooting, she was informed that everything was being dealt with.

So, if they can't deal with one Jewish killer, of course they ignore the warnings about thousands of potential Arab killers waiting in the wings in Gaza and northern Samaria.

Friday, August 05, 2005

The mob kicked the gunman and hurled objects at him. Police officers surrounded the bus in an attempt to protect the gunman from the mob, but moved away when they thought the Lower Galilee residents were going to set the bus on fire.

a. they can be tough against Jews but prove less than capable facing an Arab mob?b. when the Kasams fall in Gaza during the expulsion, will they also run away?

About Me

American born, my wife and I moved to Israel in 1970. We have lived at Shiloh together with our family since 1981. I was in the Betar youth movement in the US and UK. I have worked as a political aide to Members of Knesset and a Minister during 1981-1994, lectured at the Academy for National Studies 1977-1994, was director of Israel's Media Watch 1995-2000 and currently, I work at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. I was a guest media columnist on media affairs for The Jerusalem Post, op-ed contributor to various journals and for six years had a weekly media show on Arutz 7 radio. I serve as an unofficial spokesperson for the Jewish Communities in Judea & Samaria.